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The worst part is that I believe that everyone concedes the fact that Intel do have better performance that AMD but AMD still has the best bang for the buck

That was certainly the reason for the death of the CPU forum, IMO. There used to be some great debates in there by TOTT (ThreeOnTheTree), Hoyle, Ol'Man, etc. Most of it went way over my head but it was interesting nonetheless.

Originally Posted by Ratt

So any good proposals for bringing all the old members back?

TBH I think it's pretty unlikely that we'd tempt back many people who left nearly a decade ago. Even without all the OT stuff, people move on and find other places to talk.

I guess the best chance for HWC is to somehow tempt more new members on board and keep them interested - the problem these days seem to be that most people who sign up don't stick around when they see how quiet the forums are.

HWC brands itself as "Your source for in-depth computer hardware info", but maybe this is where it's fallen behind some other sites.

Take a look at Toms Hardware for instance - they have a plethora of reviews and benchmarks for CPU's and GPU's, which are updated every few months. That kind of content is popular and draws people to the site, so they then use the forums too.

Yes it is.... it only seems like its the old crew is here. An occasional newb might comeby for a quickie but they don't stay, and might not even reply back to the suggestions that were offered, as they may have found help quicker elsewhere.

I was a bit too late (Feb 03) to see the OT forum in its original incarnation - was it a really as out-of-hand as the above thread suggests?

Nah... It wasn't wild at all. It was pretty quiet for a week or so after a few heated arguments and debates among the regulars at the ot forum. What happened after that is wdeep started started spamming 2 pages of worth threads at the OffTopic forum because it is in his opinion that the the place was boring.

I logged off expecting to see the guy banned. After going away for a few days, lo and behold the Offtopic forum was forever gone. I almost fell out of my chair. (metaphorically speaking of course)

It used to be a nice place to chat about and talk about anything with members from around the world. Need to fix anything, need advice etc there are always helpful members around. Instead of nurturing and guiding the Otforum to be useful and a nice place to hang around, the former admin choose to kill it.

Originally Posted by nodnod

Maybe we need to start some good vs threads and some actual chat about products. The worst part is that I believe that everyone concedes the fact that Intel do have better performance that AMD but AMD still has the best bang for the buck

Well, We can always talk about AMD vs Nvidia... but we are both using Nvidia.

Originally Posted by Steve R Jones

Do you have any suggestions for getting the OT posters to also post in the tech forums

This is a chicken and egg situation. It's almost a decade already without any improvement. Expecting an improvement without changes is an exercise in futility and I'm not talking about Obama. Just bring it back as it was before including post counts in Ot. What does the current admin here have to loose? Need to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

Originally Posted by dannyboy27

TBH I think it's pretty unlikely that we'd tempt back many people who left nearly a decade ago. Even without all the OT stuff, people move on and find other places to talk.

I guess the best chance for HWC is to somehow tempt more new members on board and keep them interested - the problem these days seem to be that most people who sign up don't stick around when they see how quiet the forums are.

Yeah, I know. People change, some get married, some grow up and move on, new responsibilities etc. Would be nice to hear from them once in a while, but who would post in an empty lifeless forum anyway?

Originally Posted by dannyboy27

HWC brands itself as "Your source for in-depth computer hardware info", but maybe this is where it's fallen behind some other sites.

It's highly exaggerated IMO. Haven't read the main page in years.

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

No we don't. What we've had before was called Off Topic Forum not Central Lounge. The difference? Posts in Central Lounge do not count toward the HWC post total. Posts in the previous Offtopic Forum does. Clearly that does not make it the same.

Why bother posting and contributing something positive if it does not make it into the post total?

After 10 years, it's time for a change... or if you prefer, to evolve in order not to become extinct.

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

So somebody that posts hundreds of posts worth of dribble in an OT forum...They should get their post count increased? What does that mean or indicate? And who looks at post counts and for what reason.

You joined here six months before I did but have a lot less posts? To me that means nothing except one of has more free time then the other

Some sites don't allow people into the OT fourm untill they've posted a few hundred times in the Tech forum section... Their reward is being allowed access

So somebody that posts hundreds of posts worth of dribble in an OT forum...They should get their post count increased? What does that mean or indicate? And who looks at post counts and for what reason.

How do you think my post count got high? I remember back in 2000 in the original OT forum (mostly), I had 1,000 posts in a month.

So somebody that posts hundreds of posts worth of dribble in an OT forum...They should get their post count increased? What does that mean or indicate? And who looks at post counts and for what reason.)

Come on. Let's not be too cynical here. Just how would you know that if the OT forum were to reinstate post counts right now, there will be hundreds of post of dribble in HWC in let's say a week?

A little less cynical and a bit more positive would be nice.

As it is, there's only an average of 3 members logged in simultaneously every day. Most of the time its the moderators. LOL!

Originally Posted by Steve R Jones

You joined here six months before I did but have a lot less posts? To me that means nothing except one of has more free time then the other

Well, I don't really care much for post counts too and I could have matched Huge's or Toolbox's post counts, but that's your opinion and mine. If post counts really matter to me, I wouldn't be in HWC today.

Originally Posted by Steve R Jones

Some sites don't allow people into the OT fourm untill they've posted a few hundred times in the Tech forum section... Their reward is being allowed access

I don't care about what other sites do or don't allow in their forums. Sure, I am a member of some other forum with roughly 3000 members logged in simultaneously every day and yes many of the sub forums that I participate are not counted into the total posts. Why compare an elephant to a flea?

In summary, after 10 years there is still little activity here and in fact HWC is losing steam. Sure anyone can give reasons and excuses for the decline. But why are there thriving forum communities out there surviving and why can't HWC be one of them? And if I were the Big Boss of Internet.com, I expect results and if this is what they have to show after 10 years, there's gonna be a lot of answering to do......

At the end of the day it's not my job that's at stake.

I'm merely suggesting some changes to the forum that I strongly believe will bring positive changes in the future. Whether the current admin chooses to do so or not it is the admin's prerogative and I will respect that. Full Ahead or Full Astern the Ratt will tag along for the ride.

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

what are some of these very active website that u frequent?? I'd like to check them out, especially if they offer Terminal Server networking help... as I have difficulties with that platform, considering I'm not an IT person, but a small biz guy running my little company, I need to save cash and do my own networking.

To breathe life back into the forums will be a very tough task imo. It saddens me as this was the first hardware forum i took seriously and i know what it once was.. Even though i wish the best, being realistic i don't think it will ever see the days of glory it once did as choices by certain folks ran off the original commited core members who were here from the beginning, getting new blood this late in the game is nigh on impossible. I am also a member of forums that see more traffic and posts in an hour than this forum did in the last 10yrs

what are some of these very active website that u frequent?? I'd like to check them out, especially if they offer Terminal Server networking help... as I have difficulties with that platform, considering I'm not an IT person, but a small biz guy running my little company, I need to save cash and do my own networking.

Honestly, I post here if I have any computer problems. It's just that I don't face problems nor issues with my computers on a frequent basis. Anyway, I don't think it's appropriate for me to link to other forums in this particular thread.

Why not post here? I'm sure the members here could help if they can.

However, if you are wondering who's hot, who's cold, who's down and who's out:

UTSE: big boards message boards statistics

Yup. Even HWC is in the list. Have a look also at the forums Glussier suggested.

Originally Posted by Justintime

To breathe life back into the forums will be a very tough task imo. It saddens me as this was the first hardware forum i took seriously and i know what it once was.. Even though i wish the best, being realistic i don't think it will ever see the days of glory it once did as choices by certain folks ran off the original commited core members who were here from the beginning, getting new blood this late in the game is nigh on impossible. I am also a member of forums that see more traffic and posts in an hour than this forum did in the last 10yrs

I feel the same way too but even a mighty oak starts from an acorn. I'm sure that the remaining members here would make a good core for the next 10 years.

Never say never... just like the song by Justin Bieber. They played it too many times on the radio I think I'm beginning to like it. HELP!!!

Originally Posted by Steve R Jones

You're the person that said there's a difference between an OT fourm that counts the posts and those that don't... Now you seem to also agree that post counts don't mean anything.

Net Results - the HWC Lounge that's been here for over five years hasn't made a difference.

The difference is that I don't think that our opinions represents the majority of what the old members and potential members want.

Like I suggested, lets start again from the beginning, as it was once, 11 years ago. Nurture and guide it to become a friendly helpful and fun place to talk and hang out. That was what brought me here in the first place.

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche